All posts tagged ‘iphone apps’

I sometimes wish that my iPhone was my remote control for everyday life. I want it to do everything for me, or at least make life easier. Ever since I started taking an interest in photography, I’ve wanted to be able to link my iPhone to my DSLR camera to extend my reach and take self portraits. As you can imagine, I was thrilled when I received a review copy of the ioShutter cable to try for myself from Photojojo (a photographers haven of awesomeness)!

The ioShutter is billed as “cord/app combo that lets you control your camera’s shutter with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch’s smarty-pants iOS brains” (from Photojojo). The ioShutter cord will cost you $60 at Photojojo or other retailers, but the “lite” version of the iPhone app is free. While this price is about double the cost of a normal wired shutter release cable, it does give you a more control in terms of the pictures you take. The ioShutter lite app includes a free timer, time lapse controls, programmable bulb, clap sound trigger, and shake activated trigger. The $9.99 Pro version adds an ability to schedule pictures via iCal, run time lapse for days, set a dB level for the sound trigger feature, and program your iPhone’s movement sensors to do different things.

The ioShutter is compatible with iPhone G3 and beyond, iPod Touch g4 onwards, and all iPads. There are three versions of the cable. The E3 version is compatible with Canon, Pentax, Samsung, Hasselblad, and Contax cameras. The N3 version is compatible only with Canon cameras and the Nikon version to be released Fall 2012 (DC2 model). Make sure to check the website and get the cable that is compatible with your camera, they are all dependent on which cable port is built into the camera.

So, what did I think of it? I like the features, but its not what I was hoping for. I was most excited about the clap shutter feature, thinking that it would allow me to take pictures from a further distance away. Unfortunately, the cord is only about three feet long, and I think my iPhone mic only has a one to two foot range. This means you have to have a very short focal length in order to take a clear image of yourself. I suppose that the Pro version might have been better since I could change the decibel level of the snap or clap that the shutter would react to. I will say that when I was close enough to trigger the shutter with sound it did indeed work as expected, even searched for and found the new focus point before taking the shot. This was the same issue I ran into for the shake feature. You had to be very close to the camera in order to hold your phone and control it. I really think the next version of this should be a wireless version with a bluetooth or radio transmitter between the phone and camera.

I was impressed with the responsiveness of the shutter taps, and would likely use this when photographing large groups using a tripod. The ioShutter cable would give me enough mobility to take pictures while getting everyone’s attention (something you know can be difficult when you are behind the camera).

The ioShutter cable is very useful for doing long exposure pictures. As you know I’m an astronomer by trade, so taking star pictures is always something I’m trying to attempt. Long exposure pictures at night are not easy. Any shake ruins your picture, even the tiny shake that comes from touching the on-camera trigger, so using a trigger cable is a must. The programmability of this feature allows the photographer the ability to step away from the camera and not worry about the image being taken at the right time. Again, this would be nice with a wireless feature so that you don’t have to leave your iPhone out with your DSLR on a cold night.

The best part about ioShutter is that modes can be combined to create truly awesome photos. You can start a timer with a snap, shake your phone to start a time lapse exposure, or use a timer to trigger a pre-programmed long exposure.

All in all, I LOVE the ioShutter cable and app combination, I just wish it were wireless. I’ll admit even though the cable didn’t have the self portrait abilities that I was hoping for, I was able to use it to try out a new shoot location on a railroad nearby. It was a nice portable accessory to include in my camera bag.

Toca Boca’s iPad and iPhone apps for children are consistent favorites with my youngest children. My three-year-old son favors Toca Robot, a cheery game in which you assemble a robot from an assortment of parts and then navigate it through a maze of balls and walls, collecting stars on your way. My six-year-old daughter is especially fond of styling the shaggy manes of Toca Hair Salon‘s quirky characters — and it scores points with me for its focus on whimsy and color rather than glamour. My special-needs eight-year-old enjoys a good game of Toca Store, especially the part where he gets to choose which items to sell in his shop. And all three kids adore serving me a big hunk of dragon cake in Toca Birthday Party.

The newest member of the Toca Boca app family is Toca Train. If you saw my recent review of Lola’s Math Train, you know any train-centric app is off to an advantaged start with my kids. Big, big choo-choo fans here. Add that special Toca Boca charm, and you’ve got a game full of kid appeal. Mom appeal, too: what I love about Toca Boca’s apps are that they aren’t full of flashing lights and raucous noises; they aren’t full of that frenetic, choppy, quick-cut action that dominates so much contemporary children’s media. (It’s worth noting that I receive many, many offers of apps to review, and I write about very few of them. I only post about apps my kids genuinely enjoy and I feel are worthy of their limited portion of screen time.) Toca Boca games have a gentleness about them, a peaceful interactivity that engages a child’s imagination without bombarding him with bling and frenzy.

There’s nothing quite as frustrating as getting ready to leave the house in the morning and not being able to find your keys. This is usually more likely to happen on a day when you’re already running late or you overslept and can’t see straight, or your kids are missing a shoe or a glove or their school bags. It’s one of those moments of parenting hell that we’ve all endured. Lucky for all of us, the days of searching the house for our keys are soon to disappear thanks to the folks behind Hone.

My three year old just brought his Lego car creations to life. How you might ask? The new Makego app for the iPhone or iPod Touch. Makego is available on the iTunes store for two dollars. Let your kids create a car, boat or truck, slip your device in and breathe life into their once inanimate creations.

Chris O’Shea is the mastermind behind this really cool app. He is a British artist/designer that uses technology to create innovative ways to bring play to life. He has worked in collaborations with the BBC, Design Museum London and Science Gallery Dublin, among others.

This app was a real joy to watch my son explore. He was excited to pull out his Legos and create a car, he was really surprised when I pulled out my iPhone and put it on top and shooing him that the car he made now makes sounds and has a passenger. After a little bit of practice, his favorite of the three modes was the ice cream truck. He loved interacting with the screen to serve and take money, while still being able to move around via his Legos.

I thought it was really intriguing how Chris managed to get you to interact with the game without it taking over the imaginative play. For example, the boat mode is pretty unassuming and calm, but occasionally without warning, the boat will spring a leak that you will have to repair in order to continue. The app isn’t a traditional game, it really is an extension of your child’s own curiosity and exploration. How do you think your child would play with this? Would they make paper vehicles? Lego ones?

I’d recommend this app to any of my iPhone parent friends, in fact I’ll do just that.I’m going to give away five free redemption codes for the Makego app. All you need to do is make a comment below and tell us what your kids favorite Apple App is so far. You have until 12pm EDT Friday, March 30th to enter. I’ll randomly draw 5 entries and email the redemption code directly to you.

Timon asks the reader to wipe away the black screen to reveal the name of this book. Screenshot image courtesy of iTunes.

Now fans of Disney’s The Lion King can experience the magic of the story on their Apple iPhone or iPad devices. The Lion King: Timon’s Tale tells the story from Timon’s perspective, bringing interactive fun and children’s’ reading skills together.

Being that my youngest son (age 7) has been obsessed with The Lion King recently, I was excited to get a chance at a review copy of this app for him. He really enjoyed it and took time to explore all the variations available.

The app will highlight the words as they're being read aloud. Screen capture: Patricia Vollmer

Using the settings, the user can set whether the book will read out loud or remain silent for the reader to work on his/her own. There is also a background music setting that can be turned off and on. Finally, users can choose what scene to skip to, similar to a DVD or Blu-Ray disc’s scene-selection feature.

It goes without saying that some parts of the story are omitted and abridged, but it seems to flow faithfully. The story uses Rafiki’s drawings as a nifty transition between scenes. When you use the “read to me” option, the words are highlighted as the app reads them aloud.

The reader needs to swipe the bugs so Simba can eat his first grub! Screen capture: Patricia Vollmer

There are also interactive features to the app. For example, there are puzzles for the reader to complete, and scenes where the reader has to swipe across the screen to accomplish tasks.

To awaken Simba after he’s collapsed at the watering hole near Timon and Pumbaa’s home, the reader has to swipe water in his face. Before Simba eats his first grub, the reader needs to shoo away the other flying bugs by swiping the screen. My son really enjoyed doing this.

Everyone longs to find their true love, and in this little app it’s your mission to help the boy get the girl. Game play is simple and straightforward with the boy running across the screen as he tries to capture his true love’s heart. But, just like in the real world, love is never that easy.

He carries the moon on a string as he runs and your job is to guide it on the journey. Swipe your finger up and down to move the moon and collect hearts and smiles, but stay away from deadly bomb clouds and sleepy clouds that release Zs that will pop the moon like a balloon. There are also animals like happily jumping deer that you must collect to prove your love.

There are seven different worlds to explore with over 50 levels and plenty of challenges and bonuses along the way. I had a room full of kids ages 8-10 playing this last week and they loved trying to out do one another. This is a fun, easy game that both adults and kids will enjoy. Boy Loves Girl is available for just $0.99 in the iTunes app store.

Millie and the Lost Key is a storybook app for young children from Megapops LLC and available on both the iPad and iPhone. Millie is a playful pup who leads children on an interactive story adventure.

Picture from Megapops LLC

In Millie and the Lost Key a walk in Central Park becomes an adventure as children help Millie on a quest to find The Lost Key to Endless Bacon. There’s a read-to-me and read-it-yourself option, hidden virtual stickers, mini-games, pop-ups, music, and sound effects (and a cute dog on every page). It combines art with real-life photographs. (And bacon. But not real bacon.)

Picture from Megapops LLC

When asked to give this app a try, I gave it to my seven year old, who loves trying out new apps, especially interactive stories. She tried the “read-to-me” version first on my iPhone. She found the game to be very easy to use and had fun finding the stickers on each page and playing the games as the story progressed. As a still-emerging reader she liked how the words lit up so she could follow along. Also, she found idea of a quest for “endless bacon” to be incredibly funny (and asked me to make her bacon after she finished). She “oohed” and “ahhed” over the adorable art, especially the puppy. She did think that it was sometimes a little too easy, though she does admit it’s probably aimed at slightly younger children. She also would have liked there to be even more games. Overall she found it entertaining and has played it several times and has asked me to download more Millie books for her.

My three-year-old son is of the generation that will never remember a time without iPhones and iPads and other devices of electronic wizardry. And, predictably, he loves all of those devices passionately. I’m aware of issues with screen time, and we remain vigilant about making sure he spends time outside running around and inside doing hands-on activities, but I don’t mind the time he spends with the gadgets. He plays one game that’s teaching him simple math, and he’s using a speak-and-spell app that helps him learn to spell words. He even “wrote” a full sentence on that one the other day. (It was: “Mom went to Santa’s party,” and I don’t know what that’s all about, but I like it.)

But I’d be fudging if I said all his iPad/iPhone time was spent on educationally enriching stuff. The fact of the matter is, his very favorite app is purely fun and totally non-educational. And also predictably — given the genes he got from me and my husband — that app is about superheroes.

A sample screenshot from Merge Mobile

It’s called ClickySticky Superheroes by Merge Mobile. (There are also ClickySticky apps with cars, trains, spelling, math and more, so not all are non-educational.) It’s available for iPad and iPhone, and it costs 99 cents to download. Essentially, it’s an app that allows you to dress up characters with various superhero faces, outfits, and accoutrements. And that’s basically it. Some of the game pieces move around a little, but generally they don’t really DO anything. You just get your super characters (or bad guy characters) looking how you want, and then maybe take a screen shot, and you’re done.

But he loves it. He could play this game for hours if we let him, creating new characters and going back to assemble his old favorites. The app interaction is simple, as it mostly involves dragging icons around and placing them in position, but there’s also a resize and rotate function that he easily mastered.

Although he has always been popular, to the extent of being a household name, Dr Seuss has never quite enjoyed the popularity he has in the USA here in England. I doubt there are many adults living here who couldn’t tell you the names of some of his most popular works, The Cat in the Hat for example, but when you start heading off into the less popular books such as Oh The Places You’ll Go, faces start looking a little blank. My first introduction to these less popular titles such as One Fish Two Fish, The Sneetches and If I Ran The Circus, came when I visited Seuss Landing at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Florida; I had no idea what most of the rides and objects referred to. I did thoroughly enjoy my time in this area of the theme park and was amazed by the vast number of books in the shop there – I had no idea there were so many Dr Seuss titles.

When my little boy got to the age where he actually sat and listened to bed time stories (occasionally at least – climbing the side of the cot is still infinitely more interesting some nights), I knew I wanted to invest in some Dr Seuss stories and asked for some on his birthday list. I enjoy the challenge they present me when I read them aloud as well as the interesting stories themselves which are so wildly different to any other author. When I was offered the opportunity to review a Seuss story app, I leapt at the chance.

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories features seven recently discovered Dr Seuss stories originally published in magazines:

The Bippolo Seed

The Strange Shirt Spot

Steak For Supper

Tadd and Todd

The Rabbit, the Bear & the Zinniga-Zanniga

Gustav, the Goldfish

The Great Henry McBride

Each story has three modes: “Read it Myself”, “Read to Me” and “Auto Play” which are all somewhat self-explanatory. If you get part way through a story in one mode and wish to switch to another, you can simply return to the menu and switch options, prompting a menu that will allow you to either start over from the beginning, or to carry on from where you were in the previous mode.

A description of the image appears when parts are tapped and the current word is highlighted as the narrator reads aloud

In the “Read to Me” mode, each new paragraph appears on screen along with traditionally drawn Seuss-style backgrounds and pictures. As the narrator reads, each word is highlighted so children can follow along easily. If you want to hear a paragraph again, you can press and hold the paragraph, tapping an individual word reads that word aloud and tapping any part of the background image brings up the appropriate word on screen and reads it aloud (once the narrator has finished reading the current paragraph). A simple swipe moves you along to the next page. The “Auto Play” mode is almost identical but moves you to the next page automatically without the need to swipe.

“Read it Myself” keeps all the features from the previous mode and simply misses out the narrator – the music and sound effects on each page still play if they are switched on in the options menu. Words and pictures can still be tapped to hear them spoken aloud so children who are learning to read can tap a word they find themselves stuck on to hear how it is said. This is a great resource for independent learning, allowing children to figure out a new word without having to turn to their parents for help.

My son is far too little to learn to read at the moment, however he has enjoyed sitting with the app in “Auto Play” mode and watching the stories unfold. In “Auto Play” mode he can poke at the screen without opening any other pages or stopping the app from running which is a huge benefit, and I know it will grow with him until he is reading along with it which makes it very good value. My only personal gripe with the app is the American accents which are in parts very strong to English ears; however as I certainly don’t plan for my son to learn to speak and to read entirely from apps, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem!

This is a beautifully made app which combines the traditional and instantly recognisable Dr Seuss artwork with fun narrations, great stories and music which is reminiscent of the Seuss Landing theme park. It is not the cheapest app on the market but when you consider it is the cost of only two paperback Seuss books, and costs less than buying this story collection in book form, the value becomes apparent; this effectively provides both the books and interactive audiobook copies all in one. I thoroughly enjoy using this app and am planning to purchase some more from the developer’s range of Seuss apps.

One of my favorite eBook apps to date is Nosy Crow’sThe Three Little Pigs, so naturally I was very excited to have a look at their latest app, Cinderella. Again bringing the high production values to an eBook, I appreciate that Nosy Crow is developing a signature look and feel. The illustration and animation are lovely, especially in the magical bits with the fairy godmother. Again the voiceovers are adorable and keep the story grounded firmly in a kid’s world.

Find a pumpkin and three mice in the garden.

Where Cinderella one-ups The Three Little Pigs is in the interactivity. Yes, you can still click on characters and get tons of dialog, but now you can really participate in key moments in the story: dressing the sisters for the ball, gathering mice and a pumpkin in the garden for the fairy godmother, dressing Cinderella, and perhaps most importantly, putting the glass slipper on Cinderella’s foot.

Help Cinderella clean up the room.

There are other little moments that are good fun as well. You can help Cinderella clean up the house by putting dishes in the sink and on the shelf. Or gather the King’s invitations to the ball into a stack. This has become my daughter’s favorite activity: “Mommy, I made the stack taller than the Prince again!” You can touch floating notes to change the music and dance that Cinderella and the Prince do. And, as all princess tales should, it ends in a game of ping-pong.

Don't like disco? Tap a note to change to something else.

Nosy Crow implemented clever uses of the technology. Whenever there’s a mirror, it uses the iPad’s camera to insert a picture of you. If you shake the iPad, all of the dishes you’ve cleaned fall off the shelf. You might want to warn the little ones of this particular feature, because they might undo some of their hard work by accident. Also, anytime there’s a mirror, they use the camera to put you into the frame, a delight for little kids.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the next app in the series will be. There are two improvements I’d suggest for the next one. It would be great to have the game space all on a single screen. When Cinderella tells you to put dishes in the sink, the sink is not even on screen. You have to pan to find it and then pan back to find the cups. I’d also lose some of the interruptibility of the dialog. You can start up a lot of things at the same time, making for some royal chaos. None of that really seems to bother my 6-year-old devoted fan, though. If Nosy Crow stays this inventive, we have a lot to look forward to!

My daughter, who constantly wants me to download her new games onto my iPhone, recently tried out another interactive book Jack and the Beanstalk by Mindshapes, the same folks who brought us the Jellytoons.

Screen shot courtesy of Mindshapes

Jack and the Beanstalk is an interactive story where young readers can choose to either read the story or have it read to them. They’re brought on an interactive journey though a modernized version of traditional story where Jack daydreams about monsters and plays video games. Each page features something for kids to do such as dressing Jack, playing the magic harp, and tapping on the pictures for additional dialogue.

Screen shot courtesy of Mindshapes

It’s just an interactive book, with no additional mini-games, but it does have a chapter function so readers can return to their favorite pages. It’s an entertaining app. The words appear really small on my iPhone making it not as ideal for an emerging reader to practice as some other interactive books, but my daughter still really likes it and plays with it over and over again.

Jellytoon’s Birthday Countdown is an interactive storybook aimed at the toddler set with its bright and colorful shapes and cute sound effects. Its simple sentences make its “Let Me Read” option a good one for readers who are still emerging and need some extra motivation like silly sound effects and interactive pictures. My daughter enjoyed playing with it, using it to practice her still-emerging reading skills, and she also liked listening to it read the story to her.

She enjoyed it so much we downloaded Bobo’s Birthday Challenge, another Jellytoon iPhone app which features the same characters.

Bobo’s Birthday Challenge is a series of simple mini-games each focusing on skill, like colors, counting, and shapes. When kids complete a game they get to choose a present from the present room. It features the same colorful characters and graphics as Jellytoon’s Birthday Countdown and easy to follow verbal instructions. There’s also a tracking function for parents so you can monitor your child’s progress.

Bobo's Birthday Challenge--Screen shot courtesy of Mindshapes

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed both apps and would probably download other Jellytoon games and interactive books.

‘Princess Arabella Wants to Play’, is an Interactive Children’s Book by RumdeeDum for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Featuring beautiful illustrations, it’s based on the Princess Arabella books written by Mylo Freeman. It’s advertised as being suitable for children ages 4-10.

Screen shot from RumdeeDum

When I was asked if I were interested in giving this app a try, my seven year old daughter gleefully agreed to put it to the test on my iPhone. The book has two options, you can listen to to book being read, or you can read it to yourself in simple text (I believe the iPad offers a full-text version). It is available in English and Dutch.

She enjoyed both listening to it and reading it and really liked the story about a young princess who is bored and wants someone to play with her. The simpler text sentences make it a great way to encourage emerging readers on the go. She also liked the “extras” like the music and the interactive pictures, though she wished there were even more.

My daughter wasn’t sure if a ten year old would like it unless they were using it with a younger child, but she thought it would be great for those who were her age and younger and thought it was easy to use. She loved to listen to it in the car, but she also thought it would be a good quiet evening activity for a parent and child to do together.

We both thought this was a good story with lovely pictures and a cute app. We hope more there are more Princess Arabella apps to come.

I keep finding myself in conversations with people who are down on technology, especially as it tramples over the sacred ground of books. It was the mood at Book Expo this year, and it seems to be the mood among the parents and educators I’ve been talking to recently. What they’re missing is that we’re witnessing the birth of something new, and it’s amazing to watch the evolution of the eBook unfold as different people and publishers try storytelling in app form. Here are a handful that have caught my eye, for reasons both good and bad.

The Going to Bed Book

The Going to Bed Book is perhaps the most literal translation I’ve seen yet of a book on screen. Not only are there animated page turns (which, just for the record, I hate in digital form), but they go so far as to show in the book in an environment. Look! There’s the board book, right next to a blanky and plush doll. It’s as though the app is apologizing for having the book on a screen. Don’t get me wrong – there’s stuff to like here, like the cute interactive animations on each page and the fact that it’s based on one of my favorite board books of all time, but I’d love to see the creators embrace the form of the book on screen.

Nancy Drew: Shadow Ranch

Nancy Drew: Shadow Ranch takes advantage of the mobile platform by interjecting the standard eBook with choice points like the old Choose Your Own Adventure books, as well as mini games and activities that further the storyline. The app is a bit like a hypertext adventure. There are different kinds of links for definitions, sound effects, and choice points, and it handily shows your choice points as selected links so you can read through the story in different ways. Stylistically there’s a weird mix of retro Nancy Drew on the book pages and 3-D games and animation more typical of Her Interactive everywhere else. I’d love to see something done entirely in the retro style.

The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat, and pretty much every other release from Oceanhouse Media, has set the bar for the straightforward eBook app. They more than do justice to these beloved books with elegant pans and zooms through the illustrations, and text highlighting while the book is read that’s easy on the eyes. You can tap on the screen to make words appear, but there’s not much beyond that. The book is what you get, and when the book is great, it’s plenty to sustain an app.

A Present for Milo

A Present for Milo is a very sweet app that is more animated than some of the others, featuring a cat and mouse chase that leads Milo, the cat, to a birthday surprise. The illustrations are adorable. The animation, though simple, does a lot to convey the movement of the book to young readers. Picture books for little kids have always tackled concept words like “around” and “through”, but what a treat to have animations help convey the meaning.

The Magic School Bus: Oceans

The Magic School Bus: Oceans from Scholastic is an excellent translation of a Magic School Bus book. If you read the picture books, you know how densely populated they are with facts and dialog, not to mention the story itself. When I do these books as read alouds with my daughter, we’re pretty all over the place as we decide what to read. The app gives the book some linearity, as pieces of the book page slide on to screen so you can focus on one thing at a time. The more gamey moments in this app really add something to the understanding of science concepts, as kids can use touch to interact with the different animals and environments.

The Three Little Pigs

Perhaps my favorite one of all so far is The Three Little Pigs from Nosy Crow. You might think they got off easy adapting a public domain story, but there was clearly so much love (and writing) that went into this app. The pigs are charming, and you can tap each character in each scene multiple times for different lines of dialog that appears as text bubbles. The production value of the art, animation, and audio is amazing. You know that feeling you get when you’re reading a picture book that’s gorgeous and beautifully made? This is the app version of that feeling.

I think we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg, so I say rejoice in this new medium! Let’s see where it can go. (And no, it’s not going to replace books. Not now, not ever. So stop worrying and enjoy them both.)

What eBook apps do you like?

Disclosure: I received review copies of almost all of these apps (I think I paid for Dr. Seuss), and I often work for Scholastic.

Today I ran for 20 minutes… in a row. This may be a paltry amount to you runners out there, but a couple months ago running for even 5 minutes seemed impossible. It all started in January when I signed up to run the Run For the Wild 5K at the Bronx Zoo, an event to raise money for the adorable penguins. As I submit my entry I thought, “Wait a minute. I. Don’t. Run.” I knew I was going to need a little help.

Before baby number two I had started to work my way through a Couch to 5K podcast. Systematically it seemed similar to what else was out there, and it was free. The music was painful, though, like it was some new-age Midi made in the guy’s basement with an erratic rhythm impossible to run to. I knew that wasn’t going to work this time. Then I realized there must be an app for that. After looking at a few, I settled on the C25K app ($2.99) by Bluefin Software.

My choice was based entirely on the design of the interface. There are some ugly Couch to 5K apps out there, and figured I’d be starting at the screen a lot so might as well pick a pretty one. The C25K app has some nice features. Most important is music. My music. Unfortunately you have to manually choose a selection of songs from your iPod instead of having it pull from everything, but the flipside of that is that you can choose the best workout songs. The song information and album cover are on screen as you run, and you can flip between songs without interrupting your workout.

There are other features worth noting. The app tracks your progress so you don’t have to go digging for the next day. There’s a journal where you can track how you felt, how far you went, and other information. It will even graph your progress. You can share it on Twitter and Facebook, too.

I’ve gone from 90-second intervals to today’s 20-minute run in just a couple weeks (it starts slow, which I appreciated). The biggest motivator for me is the giant interval countdown clock. Unlike trying to time it yourself or listening to a podcast, I find this exact measure of what’s been accomplished and what’s to come essential for staying on track. When that doesn’t work, I cycle through some other psychological motivators and distrations:

Every day before my run, my husband says, “You can do it.” The words echo in my head and I believe him.

I do math problems in my head. I calculate my pace, my distance at the end of the next interval, elapsed time, and whatever else I can distract my brain with. This is GeekMom, remember?

I’ve only seen one season of The Biggest Loser, but it’s enough to want Jillian Michaels standing on the edge of my treadmill screaming at me. I imagine what she’d scream and go with that. The app has different settings for voice prompts. Dear programmers, if you’re reading this, please give me a mean screaming option.

I download songs I wouldn’t normally listen to, but that have great beats for running. Then I focus on the lyrics. Did you know Taio Cruz can rhyme ‘dance’ with ‘plans’ and ‘brands’? He gonna light it up like it’s dynamite.

The Run for the Wild 5K is just a couple more weeks away. I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to run the whole thing, but I’m going to try. If you’d like to contribute, you can visit my page. If 100 GeekMom readers each gave only $1, why that would be enough to give a small penguin a bath in money.

[Raising my hand and jumping up and down!] I am! I do running mostly, but I hop on a mountain bike every once in a while.

If you are always asking:

“How far did I run/bike/walk today?”…or “How long have I been running/biking/hiking?”…or “How many seconds can I trim off my overall run/ride/hike time if I take 10 seconds off my pace for the last mile?”…then this app is for you!

I will start by saying that I’ve had the iMapMyFitness iPhone app for almost a year already. I had a hard time with it last spring, losing time when I had to stop to fiddle with my iPod, which then crashed the app. When I restarted the app, my workout data was lost. I was Tweeting a dozen “Workout Started” posts in a row, irritating my Twitter friends to no end.

This year I picked up a Nike+ sensor with a new pair of shoes, and I like it a lot! But it’s not without limitations.

When I was invited to review the new, improved iMapMyFitness app, I jumped on it! I feel that many improvements were made and if one couples the iPhone app with the full fledged website, you can have a complete workout tracking experience. Above all, their mapping function is the best I’ve seen.

You can choose a free or a premium download (such as iMapMyRun+), this review is for the free “iMapMyFitness” app, available at the iTunes App Store, which can be used for several different workouts, but if you exclusively run or bike, you can download “iMapMyRun” or “iMapMyRide” instead.

- Search for Existing Routes. In a new location? Need to find some pre-measured running/bike routes? Bring up MapMyFitness.com and find a route near you!

- GPS-Based Routing. This app takes advantage of your GPS function in the iPhone to plot out accurate routes for you. It’s pretty cut and dry: measurement of distance + measurement of time to complete that distance. The basic Nike+ sensor doesn’t use GPS, but rather a pacing-type measurement based on a calibrated run. (See “Cons” below for limitations of any GPS-enabled devices).

- Statistics, Statistics, Statistics! The statistics this program keeps are incredible! It keeps the basics for you — number of workouts, total mileage, total time, total calories (based on your weight kept in your profile). And if you migrate to the website itself, there are even more statistics at your disposal, along with customized reporting based on date or type of workout. See the last two pictures in the gallery below to sample the website’s statistics.

- Social Networking. While I personally don’t do this (I’m a loner when it comes to my running), there is a robust fitness social networking capability here. You can pick friends, see who else is working out (i.e., if they’re recording a workout when you log on), and you can set up goals and challenges with your friends. Twitter and Facebook keep my busy enough.

- Making New Routes. The perfect app for mapping out unknown routes. You can use the audio feedback to set a distance and just run for that distance. When you’re finished, you can name, save and put in details about the route on MapMyFitness.com.

- Import from Other Sensors. MapMyFitness.com will import workouts saved through your Nike+, Polar or Garmin sensors. For now this is still on the Classic site.

- Connect to Local Races. I think this is still a work in progress, but if an event organizer wants to, he can add a race and based on location you can search for upcoming races, and click a link to sign up and then add an “upcoming workout” for that race to your calendar.

Cons:

- Audio Feedback vs. My iPod. Audio feedback is nice, but it has to compete with whatever’s playing on your iPod. I can barely hear the talking lady over my B-52s and Lady Gaga. The Nike+ audio feedback integrates better with the iPod by turning down the volume before speaking.

- iPod Controls. Similarly, using your iPod is more difficult with iMapMyFitness. Nike+ puts the iPod controls right on their app page while recording the workout. This would be nice for iMapMyFitness, since the iPod is the most-used app in the middle of a workout. You need to be super-skilled at the double-clicking of the home button to bring up the iPod controls along the very bottom. Otherwise, you risk closing the iMapMyFitness app altogether. In the iPhone 3G and newer versions, the current iPhone OS should keep the app running and so far that hasn’t been a problem. I still get nervous when I have to exit the app for any reason in the middle of a workout.

- Advertising. If you’re downloading the free version, beware of the advertising throughout the app. It was pretty easy to click on an ad and totally divert from what you’re doing. If the advertising annoys you enough, invest the $4.99 in the iMapMyRun+.

- GPS Doesn’t Work Everywhere. Like any GPS-enabled app, it only works as well as the GPS reception in your location. This won’t work indoors or in heavily wooded areas. So forget about this app working well on a treadmill or in a rainforest….

I will now go through the app with a 3 mile run I did last week. I was able to just start the app and run for 3 miles. The audio feedback told me when I reached 3 miles, and in the end I had a map of my 3-mile route. Click on each thumbnail to see the full iPhone screen capture.

The homepage. This is what you see when you first open the app. All screen captures: Patricia Vollmer

You will need a MapMyFitness account, which can be set up on the app, or more easily on mapmyfitness.com.

If you choose to connect it to Facebook, you can sign in here.

If you select "Training" from the homepage, you can view previous workouts. Select a workout to view more statistics.

Select "Routes" from the homepage and you can view recent routes, either saved from the iPhone app's GPS feature, or manually input through MapMyFitness.com

You can manipulate the Google Maps-based GUI to pan and zoom.

If you have an ANT+ sensor, you can directly connect it with this app!

In "Settings" from the homepage, you can set Audio Feedback to talk through your headphones at intervals of your choosing.

You can connect to Twitter and tweet about your workout in real-time!

How often do you want to Tweet or update Facebook? I turned on the Twitter function for this particular workout.

When you first select "Record", the GPS ON light will be red while it tries to find satellites.

I wanted a custom message added to my Tweets. You'll see that this didn't work out so well...

Here you can select what parameters you want briefed to you through your headphones every mile.

Select "Record" from the iMapMyFitness homepage, you bring up a map GUI (which is still loading here) and once the GPS ON button in the upper right turns from RED to GREEN, you can touch the START button.

I stopped about 2/3 mi. into the run to take this screen capture. You can choose the "Map" view or the "Stats" view. All the stats are visible at the bottom of the screen even in the map view.

Hitting Stop/Pause after run, you have an option to save/discard or resume workout.

Select Workout Type.

After you stop your workout, you are presented with an advertisement. I had to laugh at this seemingly non-descript ad.

You select the advertisement and it goes to a Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter ad!

You can Tweet your full statistics after the workout.

View the full workout statistics. A GeekMom's DREAM!!!

Here is the full route. 3.0 miles.

Did you stop to take screen captures of your app? If so, you can edit your workout stats to reflect this. Let's subtract a couple minutes...

You can edit each variable of the workout...if you must!

I'm probably be a little TOO gracious here, but I subtracted 2 minutes.

Last week I talked about my obsession with love for cameras.In my post, I confessed to usually having around 3-4 cameras on my person at all times, one of which is my iPhone.Well guess what? Technically, the many photography apps available on iTunes transform the iPhone into SEVERAL cameras.

I’m really not trying to establish myself as a liar.I’m just breaking it down to you in a kind of flibberty gibbet way.(Did anyone else ever get called a flibberty gibbet as a child? Or is that a term that only echoed throughout MY formative years? Note to self: research the linguistic evolution of this term.)

ANYWAY.There are loads of lovely apps available for the iPhone that can enhance your camera feature, and I thought I would list a couple of my favorites here:

You’ve probably already heard of Hipstamatic.In fact, Amy Kraft mentioned it here on Geek Mom in her post about Hawaii.Taking pictures with Hipstamatic adds an instant vintage look to your shots.Which is great, because let’s face it – the iPhone doesn’t always take the greatest quality photos.I’m not complaining.It’s a phone, not a point and shoot or DSLR.So when you add these awesome stylized effects on top, well, suddenly it’s not a crappy picture – it’s an ARTISTIC CHOICE.Photos that look like they were taken in the early 1970s! Awesome burnout effects and filters!You choose the lenses, type of film, and filters and shoot away! And if you’re like me and can’t make a decision, there’s even a feature where you shake your phone, and it surprises you.

It’s on sale right now for $1.99 but you’ll have to pony up $.99 every time you want to add a new package – but once you’ve bought them all, you’re only out $7 to $8 dollars.So don’t get a latte for a few days and voila, you’ve got enough for a lifetime of ye olde tyme pics.

If you’d rather take your pictures first, and filter later, then Camera Bag is the app for you. With Camera Bag, you pick a shot, and mess around with it using the 12 features it offers.You can get some of the same effects as you get with Hipstamatic, but you have much more control over the final result.Plus, it’s fun to flick through the different filters and see how each one affects your photo.It’s $1.99 right now in the App Store – and they’ve just come out with a desktop version for $19.

My latest favorite is an app called 8mm.Imagine Hipstamatic, but with movies! It’s the exact same principle.You pay your buck ninety-nine and within minutes you’re shooting grainy films on your iPhone.There’s even a button where you can add some frame jitters as you film it.I’ve been following Vivi around the house shooting with this, and OF COURSE adding my own 1940s newsreel voiceover as I go.I’m sure that’s not annoying at all!Again, you take something that isn’t the best quality as far as video is concerned, slap a filter on it and, say it with me: ARTISTIC CHOICE. Fantastic and entertaining!

Have fun playing with these and if you’ve got any favorite photography apps of your own, chime in!

Kate and Sawyer's waterfall, though the suitcase full of guns was nowhere to be found. All photos: Amy Kraft

Is it possible to be geeky in paradise? Of course it is. Besides being the pastiest person on Oahu, I found plenty of ways to be a geek in Hawaii.

1. Help a Groom With an App

Our primary reason for going to Hawaii was my little brother’s gorgeous, decidedly un-geeky wedding. They had planned the wedding for over a year, so I found there was little I could help with until the day of the wedding when my brother hadn’t yet had a chance to finish his vows. I grabbed my iPhone and found him, yes, the Wedding Vows app. His vows were lovely and largely of his own creation, but he said that he found the app particularly useful for flow and pacing.

Delcious loco moco

2. Scientifically Study the Food

Early on in the trip, I discovered the tasty island treat called loco moco. This dish usually is a combination of rice, a beef patty or two, fried eggs, and gravy. As my husband noted, it’s right on the border between crazy disgusting and crazy delicious. With as many meals as I could, I tried to study the variations of loco moco. The winning combination was found at the Waikiki Hyatt, where the ordinary white rice was replaced by Spam fried rice.

3. Research Everything

Kukui shells

We mostly managed to stay away from using our technology for non-island-related things, but Google and Wikipedia came in handy for researching all of the different kinds of lizards in the yard and house, all of the different plants that we found, and all of the different things that washed up on the beach. It was also good to have our new local family around to tell us about the things we were having trouble finding, like the origin of the shells that my daughter was endlessly picking up off the beach. It turns out that they’re Kukui, or Candlenut, shells. The Aleurites moluccana has a nut whose oil is used medicinally and as lamp oil. Cool, right?

4. Enjoy the View Through Photography

One sunny day we decided to climb to the top of Diamond Head, and I did it with the baby strapped to me. Yes, I would like a medal, thanks. Once at the top, I naturally couldn’t stop and just enjoy the view. I started shooting pics using my host of photography apps. I mean, is there a better time to Tilt Shift? And doesn’t Honolulu look like it’s from a bygone era with Hipstamatic?

The view from Diamond Head: better in Tilt Shift or Hipstamatic?

5. Introduce the Kindergartener to Audio Tours

After we climbed Diamond Head, we headed, exhausted, to the small yet entertaining Waikiki Aquarium where they hand you a free audio tour on entry. My 5-year-old raced from tank to tank looking for the numbers to punch into her device. (It was great practice for her two-digit numbers.) The highlight was when she yelled to me across the exhibit, “Mommy! Did you know that the painted frogfish eats its mate?!”

The Audio Tour at the Waikiki Aquarium

6. Unleash the Lost Geek

From the moment I stepped on Hawaiian soil, I was constantly reminded of Lost. On the first night we were there, I had a moment of hesitation going outside for fear that The Others might take my baby. While experiencing uncomfortable turbulence over the Pacific, I couldn’t help but wonder if Desmond was late pushing the button.

Dharma hatch or Iraqi bunker?

Unfortunately, I couldn’t talk anyone into going on the 8-hour Lost Legends sightseeing tour with me, and my husband frowned upon me taking the $450 personal tour. Then I discovered that our Oahu Revealed guidebook had symbols on most of the maps indicating Lost filming locations. This would cause me to do things like yell, “Stop the car! I think that’s a Dharma hatch!” at which point I would test my family’s patience as I ran out to snap pictures. (Research on Lostpedia suggests that what I thought was the Arrow station was more likely Sayid’s Iraqi bunker.)

I also planned trips for our entire party, luring people with the promise of beautiful Hawaiian botanical gardens when really all I wanted to do was swim in the waterfall where Kate and Sawyer went diving for the briefcase in season 1. Is that wrong?

So, geeks, I highly recommend packing your bags and heading to tropical paradise. As if you needed convincing.

Movie tie-in video games are notoriously awful. I’ve played some of the Harry Potter games, and you’d think that using the Wii remote like a magic wand would be great fun, but they always fell short of hooking me in. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 changed all that. Being a Harry Potter nerd and a fan of Lego, I’m going to lay some superlatives on you: This game is my favorite Harry Potter video game (duh), my favorite of the Lego video game franchise (big talk considering previous titles include Star Wars, Batman, and Indiana Jones), and is now one of my favorite Wii games of all time (only Mario sits above it on my list).

Hogwarts, in beautiful Lego detail

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, like the Lego games that came before it, follows the basic plot of its source material, peppering it with fun puzzles and great Lego detail. First off, Lego Hogwarts looks amazing. This being a Warner Bros. title, it looks like the Hogwarts of the movies. You also get to explore places like the Forbidden Forrest and the Weasley House! (I experienced a ridiculous amount of joy de-gnoming the Lego Weasley garden.)

Then there’s the characters. You can play as a bunch of the different main characters, and part of solving the puzzles is figuring out which character to use. Harry is the best on the broomstick while Hermione is hilariously bad, Ron can unleash Scabbers into small places, Hagrid has strength that the other characters don’t… you get the picture.

Harry explores the Lego Weasley house

A good part of the game is learning spells by finding Lego bricks to put into a cauldron. Once learned, you can use spells like Wingardium Leviosa, Lumos, Immobulus, Expelliarmus, and Riddikulus. To get everything you need, you might need to put together a Lego staircase, handle Lego mandrakes, or even use the Invisibility Cloak to get past Mrs. Norris. Pure Harry Potter joy.

What really separates Lego Harry Potter from the other Harry Potter games, though, is its sense of humor. Sure, the characters are preparing to do battle against the Dark Lord, but it really doesn’t need to be so serious? The characters don’t talk for what I’m sure was a long, long list of development reasons, but the outcome of this choice is minifig characters retelling four books of Harry Potter in short, funny scenes. The Lego game doesn’t get hung up on being totally faithful to the books, focusing on great gameplay instead.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 would be great for the youngest readers of the books as well as adult fans looking for some fun. I played it on Wii, but you name it and you can probably play this game on it: Nintendo DS, PS3, PSP, XBox, Windows, and a little owl told me that it’s coming to iOS, meaning soon I can play it on my iPad or iPhone.

Getting ready to celebrate iHalloween? There’s an app for that (several, actually). Here’s a nice crop of apps to please your little trick-or-treaters.

Candy Catch app

Candy Catch is, well, a game where you catch candy. Simply tilt the phone left and right to catch candy in the trick-or-treater’s bucket. We bought Candy Catch last year, and it’s gotten play the whole year through. ($0.99 for iPhone)

Goosebumps PhotoShock app

With Goosebumps PhotoShock, you can give yourself a creep-tastic makeover and email it as a scary Halloween greeting to family and friends. ($0.99 for iPhone)

Pumpkin Face app

I’m having a hard time finding a pumpkin carving app that’s as freeform and as much fun as this online game. While Pumpkin Face is more of a sticker app, it still offers lots of tilting and resizing functionality to make great-looking digital pumpkins. ($0.99 for iPhone and iPad)

I Spy Spooky Mansion app

I’m a big fan of the I Spy games, and I’ve always had a soft spot for I Spy Spooky Mansion. It’s marvelously creepy as you hunt around the house, finding everything in the clues. The iPhone version of the game offers a surprisingly satisfying (and spooky) I Spy experience. ($0.99 for iPhone, $3.99 for iPad)

Plants vs. Zombies app

Plants vs. Zombies is an essential app whether it’s Halloween or not. We came late to the zombie party and have been hooked on it for weeks. I even bought it for both my iPhone and iPad so that my 5-year-old daughter and I can play at the same time (when we’re not working together to stop the zombie uprising on the iPad). I’ve played through all the levels twice, and am now trying to earn all of the achievements on both devices. Hooked, I tell you, hooked! ($2.99 for iPhone, $9.99 for iPad)

(Disclosure note: I bought all of these apps, but it’s worth noting that Goosebumps PhotoShock and I Spy Spooky Mansion were both made by friends of mine at my frequent client, Scholastic.)